This invention relates to aerosol spray cans, and, more particularly, to an actuator and actuator-orientator assembly which automatically orientates the actuator when it is inserted into the orientator so that the spraying orifice of the actuator is properly aligned.
Aerosol spray cans which are filled with marking materials such as paints, dyes, and the like are frequently used in marking traffic and parking lines on pavement, boundary lines on athletic fields, restricted areas on golf courses, and many other indicators. If an aerosol can is to be used for spraying a stripe of marking material, it is often desirable to provide the actuator or nozzle of the aerosol can with an elongated or slotted spraying orifice so that the material is sprayed in a well-defined stripe of the desired width. The aerosol cans are desirably mounted in a spraying apparatus which facilitates the marking operation. Wheel-equipped marking machines for spraying stripes are described, for example, in my prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,700,144 and 3,796,353, and hand-carried marking devices are described in my U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,485,206 and 3,977,570. Actuators with elongated or slotted spraying orifices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,817,429, 3,891,208, and 3,924,784.
If an actuator with an elongated spraying orifice is used, the actuator should be aligned with respect to the spraying apparatus so that the long dimension of the orifice extends perpendicularly to the direction in which the apparatus is advanced in order to make the widest possible stripe. In order to make the narrowest stripe, the long dimension of the orifice is aligned parallel with the direction of movement of the apparatus. Variations in stripe width between these two extremes are possible by varying the angle between the long dimension of the orifice and the direction of movement of the apparatus. One type of stripe-adjusting means is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,784.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,817,429 and 3,891,128 describe an actuator with a flat aligning surface which is engageable with the actuating bar which slides transversely relatively to the axis of the aerosol can to align the elongated orifice of the actuator in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the spraying apparatus. The actuating bar opens the valve of the aerosol can by moving the actuator.
The invention provides an actuator for an aerosol can and a means for orientating the actuator when the actuator is inserted into the orientator. The orientator may be mounted as part of the spraying apparatus, and the orifice of the actuator is automatically aligned as the actuator is inserted into the orientator.